Panic Attack or Peace to the Max - Part 1

Whoever dubbed our times, "The Aspirin Age" didn't miss. It is correct to assume there has never been a more stress-ridden society than ours. For many, gone are the days of enjoying bubbling brooks along winding pathways or taking long strolls on the beach. The relaxed bike ride through the local park has been replaced with the roar of a motorcycle whipping through traffic. The slower-paced farm or rural lifestyle has been preempted by a hectic urban family going in six different directions....existing on instant dinners, shouting matches, strained relationships, too little sleep, and too much television.  We live in a world full of panic, stress, and turmoil.

Definition of panic, stress, and turmoil:

•  Panic - relating to or resembling the mental or emotional state believed induces by the Greek god Pan, a great agitation and anxiety caused by the expectation or the realization of danger or a sudden overpowering fright.

•  Stress - a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.

• Turmoil - an utterly confused or extremely agitated state or condition. 

Some things that can cause panic, stress, and turmoil:

• Negative medical report
• Strained relationships
• Financial problems
• Traffic jams
• Car accidents
• Dental work
• Late-night phone calls
• Income tax time
• Storms or tornado warnings
• Lawsuits 

 Some of the physical symptoms of stress:

•  Rapid heartbeat
• Headaches
• Cold sweats
• Knot in the stomach, indigestion
• Depression
• Tiredness

 Illustration of peace worth a million dollars - The phrase "all shook up" was made popular by the late Elvis Presley. Born dirt poor in a little town in Mississippi, he was an only child. He had little encouragement and no special skills. At the age of eighteen, making $14 a week as a truck driver, he decided to make a recording, just on a lark. You know the rest of the story. He became the best-paid male entertainer in the history of American.

Elvis said shortly before his death that he would pay a million dollars for one week of a normal life of peace, to be able to move up and down the streets of his city without harassment.

Elvis found that money won't alleviate stress. This 42-year-old man whose funeral brought over five tons of flowers from people who drove night after night or took international flights to get to Memphis -- this man, who would have given a million dollars for a week of peace, lived his life all shook up. That very theme became his personal trademark. America's highest-paid male entertainer was the personification of stress.

In the second part of this blog, I will share with you that peace is attainable and how you can enjoy it each and every day of your life.